Hi-fi glossary
Our write-ups use these terms because the precise word is usually the right one. Here is what each means in plain English, why it matters when you are choosing gear, and what counts as typical.
- Baffle
The front face of a speaker cabinet, the panel the drivers are mounted in.
Why it matters
Sound spreading across the baffle and off its edges reaches you slightly later than sound straight from the driver, which smears the stereo image. A narrow baffle, or one with rounded edges, gives that stray sound less to bounce off — which is why imaging-focused speakers tend to be slim and curved.What is typical
Imaging-led designs run roughly 200 to 250 mm wide. Wide-baffle speakers trade some of that precision for more bass loading and, often, higher sensitivity.- Balanced
A connection that carries the signal twice, once inverted, so noise picked up along the cable cancels out at the far end. Uses three-pin XLR connectors.
Why it matters
It rejects interference over long cable runs, which is why studios use it. Over a short run between two components in the same rack the advantage is usually small.What is typical
Worth using for runs over about 3 metres, or where the cable passes near power cabling. Note this is unrelated to a "balanced" tonal description.- Bias
The idle current an amplifier runs through its output devices, which on a tube amplifier is set by hand and drifts as the tubes age.
Why it matters
Bias set wrong sounds worse and shortens tube life. It is the routine chore of tube ownership, alongside eventually replacing the tubes themselves.What is typical
Typically checked every few months on a tube amplifier and takes a few minutes with a meter; many designs have a built-in indicator. Solid-state amplifiers are biased at the factory and need nothing.- Bit depth
How finely each moment of a digital recording is measured — the "24" in 24-bit/192 kHz.
Why it matters
More bits means a lower noise floor and more room for quiet detail. It is not the same as sample rate, which is the "192 kHz" half.What is typical
CD is 16-bit/44.1 kHz. Hi-res files are usually 24-bit at 96 or 192 kHz. The audible gain over a well-made CD-quality file is smaller than the numbers suggest.- Cartridge
The part at the tip of the tonearm that holds the stylus and turns its movement in the groove into a tiny electrical signal.
Why it matters
It is the first thing that touches the music on a record, so it shapes the sound more than its size suggests. Its type, moving-magnet or moving-coil, decides what the phono stage has to do with that signal.What is typical
A moving-magnet cartridge puts out about 3 to 6 millivolts. A moving-coil one puts out a tenth of that or less, and needs more gain.- Class A
An amplifier design where the output devices conduct continuously rather than switching on and off with the signal.
Why it matters
It avoids a class of distortion that occurs when devices hand over to each other, which is why Class A is prized for low-level detail. The cost is heat and efficiency — these amplifiers run hot and waste most of what they draw.What is typical
Pure Class A designs are usually modest in power, often 10–30 watts. Many amplifiers run Class A for the first few watts and switch to a more efficient mode above that.- Compression driver
A small, powerful driver that feeds a horn through a narrow opening rather than radiating directly into the room.
Why it matters
It is how a horn produces high frequencies efficiently. The handoff frequency to the compression driver matters — placed low enough, it keeps voices inside one radiating source instead of split across two.What is typical
Commonly takes over somewhere between 800 Hz and 2 kHz depending on the size of the horn.- Crossover
The circuit inside a speaker that splits the incoming signal and sends each range of pitches to the driver built for it.
Why it matters
The frequency where the handoff happens matters because our hearing is most sensitive through the midrange. A crossover placed in the middle of the vocal range can make voices sound split between two drivers rather than coming from one place.What is typical
Two-way speakers commonly cross over between 2 and 3 kHz. Designs that keep the handoff below about 1 kHz or above 4 kHz are usually doing so to keep voices intact within a single driver.- DAC
Digital-to-analogue converter — the component that turns a stored digital file or stream into an analogue signal an amplifier can use.
Why it matters
Every digital source needs one somewhere. Whether it lives inside your streamer, your amplifier, or its own box changes how much you can upgrade it later.What is typical
Most streamers and many integrated amplifiers include one. A separate DAC is usually the first upgrade a digital-first listener notices.- Damping factor
A measure of how firmly an amplifier can control the movement of a speaker's woofer, calculated from the amplifier's output impedance against the speaker's.
Why it matters
A woofer keeps moving after the signal stops unless the amplifier holds it still. Higher damping factor generally means tighter, better-defined bass rather than a loose or boomy bottom end. This is what writing about an amplifier’s "grip" or "control" refers to.What is typical
Below 20 is low and can sound soft in the bass; 100–400 is typical of good solid-state amplifiers. Tube amplifiers often measure much lower and are voiced around it rather than against it.- Decibel
The unit used for loudness, and for many audio ratios. It is logarithmic, not linear.
Why it matters
Because it is logarithmic, small-looking differences matter: 3 dB is a just-noticeable step and needs twice the power, while 10 dB sounds roughly twice as loud and needs ten times.What is typical
Normal conversation is around 60 dB; comfortable listening sits near 75–85 dB; sustained exposure above 85 dB risks hearing damage.- Diaphragm
The thin moving surface of a driver that pushes the air: a cone, a dome or a flat film.
Why it matters
It has to be light, so it starts and stops quickly, and stiff, so it moves as one piece instead of flexing. Its material and size shape much of how a driver sounds, and how high or low it can play.What is typical
Woofer cones are paper, polypropylene, aluminium or a composite. Tweeter domes are silk, aluminium, beryllium or diamond. Planar and electrostatic diaphragms are plastic films thinner than a hair.- Diffraction
Sound bending around an edge or obstacle instead of travelling straight out from the driver.
Why it matters
The edges of a speaker cabinet, a grille frame, even a nearby wall all send delayed copies of the sound toward you. Your ears read those copies as a blurred image and small dips and peaks in tone, so speaker designers round cabinet edges and shrink front panels specifically to reduce it.What is typical
Not something you will see quoted as a number. It shows up as a ripple in a measured frequency response, and as an image that will not quite lock in place.- Dipole
A speaker that plays from its back as strongly as from its front, with the back wave turned upside down.
Why it matters
At the sides the front and back waves meet out of step and cancel, so a dipole sends little sound sideways and a lot toward the wall behind it. Placement matters more as a result: it needs space behind it, and its bass fades once the wavelength outgrows the panel.What is typical
Planar magnetic, electrostatic and open-baffle speakers are dipoles. Most want a metre or more of space behind them, and many owners add a subwoofer.- Dispersion
How widely a speaker spreads sound as it leaves the cabinet, measured separately across (horizontal) and up-and-down (vertical).
Why it matters
Narrow vertical dispersion means the tonal balance changes if your ears are above or below the tweeter, so seat height and stand height start to matter. Wide horizontal dispersion puts more sound into the room and makes the sweet spot more forgiving.What is typical
Horns and ribbons are usually narrow; conventional dome tweeters are wider. Narrow is not worse — it sends less sound at the walls, which can help an untreated room.- Driver
A single cone, dome, or panel inside a speaker that turns the electrical signal into sound.
Why it matters
Most speakers use two or three drivers because no single one covers the whole range well. How many there are, and where the handoffs sit, shapes much of how a speaker sounds.What is typical
A two-way speaker has a tweeter and a mid/bass driver; a three-way adds a dedicated midrange. More drivers is not automatically better — each handoff is another place things can go wrong.- Ethernet
A wired network connection, the cable from your router to a socket on the back of the streamer.
Why it matters
A wired link doesn’t drop out when the microwave runs or the house fills with phones, so high-resolution streams play without gaps.What is typical
Any ordinary Cat 5e or Cat 6 cable carries music without trouble.- Frequency response
How evenly a component plays each pitch, from the deepest bass to the highest treble, usually drawn as a line of level against frequency.
Why it matters
A flat line means every pitch comes out at the level it went in. Where a speaker’s line falls away in the bass you hear less weight, and where it rises in the treble you hear more brightness. The low end of the line is the speaker’s real bass extension.What is typical
Speakers quote it as a range with a tolerance, such as 45 Hz to 25 kHz ±3 dB; without the tolerance the range says little. Amplifiers and DACs are flat across the audible band. Speakers and rooms are not.- Gain
How much a stage in the chain increases the strength of the signal passing through it.
Why it matters
Every stage that adds gain also adds a little noise. Chains with fewer gain stages tend to be quieter, which is part of why some systems skip a separate preamplifier.What is typical
A phono stage adds a lot of gain because a cartridge produces almost nothing; a line stage adds relatively little. Too much total gain leaves you listening with the volume control barely open.- Headroom
The reserve of power an amplifier has left above the level you normally listen at.
Why it matters
Music has short peaks far louder than its average level. Headroom is what absorbs them cleanly — running out is what makes a system sound strained and compressed when the music gets busy.What is typical
Comfortable listening usually draws only a few watts. The rest of an amplifier’s rating is there for peaks, which is why a 100-watt amplifier is not "ten times louder" than a 10-watt one.- Hertz
The unit of frequency — how many times per second a sound wave repeats. Higher numbers are higher pitches.
Why it matters
It is how bass extension and treble reach get quoted. A speaker rated down to 48 Hz has real bass but not the bottom octave.What is typical
Human hearing spans roughly 20 Hz to 20 kHz, and the top end falls with age. A bass guitar’s lowest note is about 41 Hz; a five-string reaches 31 Hz; pipe organs go below 20 Hz.- Horn
A flared structure in front of a driver that couples it more efficiently to the air.
Why it matters
Horns are far more efficient than conventional drivers, so they play loudly on very little power — which is why they pair naturally with low-powered tube amplifiers. They also control where the sound goes, narrowing the useful listening window.What is typical
Horn-loaded speakers commonly measure 95 dB sensitivity or higher, against 85–90 for a typical conventional design.- Impedance
The electrical resistance a speaker presents to an amplifier, measured in ohms.
Why it matters
An amplifier has to be able to drive the impedance a speaker presents, especially at its lowest point. A mismatch can mean weak bass or, in extreme cases, stress on the amplifier.What is typical
8 ohms is the standard nominal rating for home speakers. 4 ohms is common too and asks more of an amplifier; below 4 ohms is unusual and worth checking against the amplifier's specifications.- Integrated amplifier
One box combining the volume and input switching of a preamplifier with the power amplifier that drives the speakers.
Why it matters
Fewer boxes, one less set of cables, and usually better value than buying the two separately. The trade is less freedom to upgrade one half at a time.What is typical
The default choice below roughly $8,000 of system. Above that, separates start to make more sense.- Jitter
Tiny timing errors in a digital audio signal — samples arriving a fraction early or late.
Why it matters
Digital audio is a stream of measurements that must be replayed at exactly even intervals. When the clock driving that wavers, the converter reconstructs a slightly wrong waveform, heard as a hardening of the sound and a less settled image. It is why a streamer's clock is talked about at all, and why some systems separate the streamer from the converter.What is typical
Measured in picoseconds — trillionths of a second. Well under 100 picoseconds is the goal, and modern converters reclock the incoming signal specifically to throw the source's timing errors away.- Line level
The signal strength components use to talk to each other before the power amplifier: about a volt, far too weak to drive a speaker.
Why it matters
Sources, preamplifiers and DAC outputs all work at line level, and a subwoofer’s RCA input expects it. Connecting a line-level output to a speaker-level input, or the other way round, gives silence or distortion.What is typical
Consumer gear runs at roughly 0.3 to 2 volts; balanced professional gear runs higher. A phono cartridge is far below line level, which is why it needs a phono stage first.- Magnet
The permanent magnet at the back of a speaker driver, whose field the voice coil sits in.
Why it matters
Current in the coil pushes against this field, so the magnet is half of the motor that moves the cone. A stronger magnet holds the cone under firmer control and often raises sensitivity, which is part of why a well-built driver is heavy.What is typical
Most drivers use a ring of ferrite, a ceramic magnet. Neodymium gives the same field from a far smaller and lighter magnet, and is common in tweeters, compact drivers and planar designs.- Mastering
The last step before a record is released, where the finished mix is balanced and set to a final level.
Why it matters
It decides much of what you hear at home. Heavily compressed mastering leaves less difference between quiet and loud, which is why some records sound flat and tiring on a resolving system.What is typical
The same album often exists in several masters. An older or "remastered" pressing can sound very different through the same system.- Midrange
The band of pitches where voices, guitars, and most instruments live — roughly 250 Hz to 4 kHz — or the driver dedicated to reproducing it.
Why it matters
Most of the music you notice happens here. A system can measure well at the extremes and still sound wrong if the midrange is recessed or coloured.What is typical
Three-way speakers give the midrange its own driver so it is not sharing one with the bass. Two-way designs hand it to the mid/bass driver, which is simpler but asks that driver to do more.- Moving-coil cartridge
A phono cartridge design where tiny coils attached to the stylus move within a fixed magnet.
Why it matters
The moving parts are very light, so the stylus tracks fine detail more readily — which is the appeal. The catch is that the signal it produces is extremely small, so it needs a phono stage with far more gain than a moving-magnet cartridge does, and most cannot be re-tipped when the stylus wears.What is typical
Output is usually 0.2 to 0.8 millivolts, against 3 to 6 for moving-magnet. Anything under about 0.5 mV is called low-output and is the most demanding to amplify cleanly.- Moving-magnet cartridge
A phono cartridge design where a small magnet attached to the stylus moves between fixed coils.
Why it matters
It puts out a much stronger signal than moving-coil, so almost any phono input can handle it, and the stylus is usually replaceable by hand when it wears. The moving parts are heavier, which is the tradeoff people cite against it.What is typical
Output is typically 3 to 6 millivolts. Nearly every phono input on an integrated amplifier expects this level by default.- Ohm
The unit of electrical resistance, used for speaker impedance and for the input and output impedance of components.
Why it matters
Lower impedance draws more current from an amplifier. A speaker that dips to 3 ohms is a harder load than its "8 ohm nominal" label suggests.What is typical
Speakers are labelled 4, 6, or 8 ohms nominal, with real dips below that. Preamplifier outputs are best under about 600 ohms.- Output stage
The final section of an amplifier — the part that actually delivers current to the speakers.
Why it matters
Its design sets much of the amplifier’s character and how it behaves at low volume, where most listening happens.What is typical
Push-pull designs use pairs of devices working in turn and are the most common. Single-ended designs use one and are usually lower powered.- Output transformer
The heavy transformer between a tube amplifier’s power tubes and the speaker, one per channel.
Why it matters
Tubes swing a high voltage at a small current, and a speaker wants a low voltage at a large one. The transformer converts between the two. Its quality sets much of how the amp sounds at the frequency extremes.What is typical
Most have 4 Ω and 8 Ω taps on the back panel. Use the one nearest your speaker’s impedance.- Phase
Where a sound wave is in its cycle at a given moment: pushing out, pulling back, or somewhere between.
Why it matters
Two sources playing the same note add up when they are in phase and cancel when they are out of phase. With a subwoofer, the phase control lines its output up with the main speakers at the crossover, so the bass joins smoothly instead of thinning out.What is typical
Subwoofers have a 0/180° switch or a dial from 0 to 180°. Set it by ear, or with a meter, for the fullest bass at the listening seat.- Phase smear
When different frequencies of the same sound reach your ears slightly out of step with each other.
Why it matters
A struck piano note is one event, but if its low body arrives a fraction after its leading edge the note sounds soft and vague rather than sharp. Time-aligning the drivers — or using one driver that covers both bands, like a coaxial — is a common way to attack it.What is typical
Usually described rather than measured at home. Crossover regions are where it is most likely, since that is where two drivers are reproducing the same notes at once.- Phono stage
The stage that boosts the tiny signal from a turntable’s cartridge and puts back the bass that was turned down when the record was cut.
Why it matters
A cartridge gives a few thousandths of a volt, far too little for an amplifier’s normal inputs, and records are cut with the bass turned down and the treble turned up (the RIAA curve). The phono stage undoes both. Many integrated amplifiers have one built in, on the input marked Phono; otherwise it is a small box between the turntable and the amplifier.What is typical
A moving-magnet cartridge needs about 40 dB of gain. A moving-coil cartridge needs 60 dB or more, or a step-up transformer in front, so check that a phono stage suits your cartridge.- Planar magnetic
A driver that moves a thin film with a flat conductor bonded to it, held between rows of magnets, instead of a cone and a voice coil.
Why it matters
The whole film is driven at once and weighs very little, which gives the quick, detailed sound people buy them for. A planar speaker is usually a tall panel with no box, so it is a dipole. It tends to have low sensitivity and a steady low impedance, so it wants a powerful amplifier.What is typical
Common in headphones, where planars are the usual step up from dynamic drivers. Planar speakers are often rated at 4 ohms, with sensitivity in the mid 80s dB.- Plate amplifier
The amplifier built into a powered subwoofer or speaker, mounted on a metal plate on its back panel.
Why it matters
It is matched to the driver and the box, and it carries the controls: level, crossover, phase and the inputs. Because it is built in, the sub needs no power from your main amplifier.What is typical
Home subwoofer plate amplifiers run from about 100 to 1,000 watts, and are mostly class D. Many add room correction or an app.- Platter
The heavy spinning disc on a turntable that the record sits on.
Why it matters
Its weight and balance are what keep the record turning at an even speed. A heavier platter carries more momentum, so small tugs from the stylus and the motor do less to disturb it — which is why turntable descriptions quote the weight.What is typical
Entry turntables use platters of a kilogram or two, often plastic or thin metal. Serious designs run 5 to 20 kilograms of machined aluminium, acrylic or composite.- Ported
A speaker cabinet with a tuned opening that uses the air inside the box to reinforce bass.
Why it matters
A port buys deeper bass from the same cabinet, which is why most floorstanders use one. Below the tuning point output drops away quickly, and a port too close to a wall can sound boomy.What is typical
Most home floorstanders are ported and tuned somewhere between 30 and 45 Hz. Give them room to breathe — a foot or more from the wall behind them.- Power amplifier
The box that takes a line-level signal and produces enough current to move the speakers.
Why it matters
Its ability to deliver current into a low impedance matters more than its headline wattage. An amplifier that nearly doubles its power as impedance halves has a supply that is genuinely up to the job.What is typical
A quoted 100 watts into 8 ohms and near 200 into 4 indicates a strong power supply; a figure that barely rises indicates the opposite.- Pre-out
A line-level output on an amplifier or preamplifier that carries the signal after the volume control.
Why it matters
It is the usual way to add a subwoofer or a separate power amplifier. Because the signal has already passed the volume control, the sub gets louder and quieter with the main speakers.What is typical
Most integrated amplifiers have one pair of RCA pre-outs, and some have a dedicated mono subwoofer output. An amplifier with no pre-out can still feed a sub through its speaker-level input.- Preamplifier
The control centre of a system — it selects the source, sets the volume, and hands a clean signal to the power amplifier.
Why it matters
It sees the signal at its most delicate, so its noise floor and output impedance affect everything downstream.What is typical
A low output impedance (under about 600 ohms) means it can drive a normal cable run into any power amplifier without losing the top end.- R-2R ladder
A style of digital-to-analogue conversion built from a network of precision resistors rather than the more common chip-based approach.
Why it matters
It is sensitive to timing noise on its input, so it tends to be paired with a transport that cleans up the signal first. Enthusiasts often describe the result as more natural, though it is a design choice rather than a measurable win.What is typical
Uncommon and expensive to build well, since it depends on the accuracy of many matched resistors.- RIAA curve
The equalisation every record since the 1950s is cut with: the bass turned down and the treble turned up, to an agreed standard.
Why it matters
Cutting the bass keeps the groove narrow enough to fit, and lifting the treble lets the playback side push the surface noise down. A phono stage applies the exact opposite curve, so the music comes back flat.What is typical
The correction spans about 40 dB between the lowest bass and the highest treble. A good phono stage follows the curve to within a fraction of a decibel.- Ribbon
A tweeter using a thin metal ribbon suspended in a magnetic field instead of a dome.
Why it matters
Very low mass lets it start and stop quickly, which tends to sound detailed and open at the top. Dispersion is usually narrow vertically, so seated ear height matters more.What is typical
Found on higher-end speakers. Sit with your ears near tweeter height to hear them at their best.- Sample rate
How many times per second a digital recording captures the waveform — the "192 kHz" in 24-bit/192 kHz.
Why it matters
It sets the highest frequency that can be stored. Beyond roughly twice the limit of human hearing, extra rate is about the filtering, not about hearing higher notes.What is typical
CD is 44.1 kHz. Streaming hi-res is commonly 96 or 192 kHz. DSD is a different encoding rather than a higher rate of the same one.- Sealed
A speaker cabinet with no opening — the back of the woofer is enclosed in a sealed box.
Why it matters
Sealed designs usually give tighter, more even bass that rolls off gradually, which often suits smaller or untreated rooms. They trade away some deep-bass output for that control.What is typical
Common on studio monitors and on speakers voiced for accuracy. Expect less bass extension than a ported box of the same size, but bass that starts and stops more cleanly.- Sensitivity
How loud a speaker plays for a given amount of amplifier power, measured in decibels at 1 watt from 1 meter away.
Why it matters
Higher sensitivity means the speaker needs less amplifier power to reach a given volume — useful if you're pairing with a modest amplifier or want more headroom before things start to strain.What is typical
Most home speakers fall between 85 and 90 dB. Below 85 dB is considered low sensitivity and calls for a stronger amplifier; above 92 dB is high sensitivity, common in horn-loaded and vintage designs.- Sibilance
The hard, hissing edge on "s" and "t" sounds in a vocal.
Why it matters
Some of it is on the recording and some is added by the system. A forward speaker will show you sibilance that a softer one glosses over — which is honest, but wearing on badly recorded pop.What is typical
It lives around 5-8 kHz. If it appears on every record it is probably the system; if it appears on some, it is the mastering.- Signal chain
The path the music takes through a system: from the source, through each component in turn, to the speakers.
Why it matters
Each component can only pass on what it receives, so a weak link early on limits everything after it. Thinking in terms of the chain is also how you spot what a system is missing, or which box is doing two jobs.What is typical
The simplest chain is a source, an integrated amplifier and a pair of speakers. Vinyl adds a turntable and a phono stage at the front. A digital source may add a streamer and a separate DAC.- Signal-to-noise ratio
How far the music sits above the component’s own background noise, in decibels.
Why it matters
A higher figure means the hiss stays out of the way during quiet passages. Past a point it stops being audible and stops mattering.What is typical
Above about 100 dB is effectively silent in a home. Figures in the 80s can be audible through sensitive speakers in a quiet room.- Soundstage
The impression that instruments occupy specific places in the room in front of you, rather than coming from two boxes.
Why it matters
It is the illusion most people notice first when a system is set up well. Width is how far the image extends past the speakers, depth is how far back it seems to go, and both depend as much on placement and room treatment as on the equipment.What is typical
Not a measured figure. It collapses quickly when speakers are asymmetrically placed or one channel is louder, so it is worth chasing with positioning before spending money on it.- Speaker level
The full-power signal an amplifier sends down the speaker cables: many volts, with the current to move a woofer.
Why it matters
Many subwoofers take a speaker-level input, wired from the amplifier’s speaker terminals beside the main speakers. It is the way to add a sub to an amplifier that has no pre-out, and the sub then hears the same signal as the main pair.What is typical
At normal listening levels a few volts; at full power, tens of volts. Subwoofer speaker-level inputs have a high impedance, so they take almost no power from the amplifier.- Streamer
A component that pulls music off a network or a streaming service and passes it on as a digital or analogue signal.
Why it matters
It replaces the CD player as the source in most modern systems. What matters is the app you live with daily and whether it supports the services you use.What is typical
Most support Tidal, Qobuz, and Spotify Connect; Roon support is a separate certification worth checking if you use it.- Subwoofer
A speaker built only for the deepest bass, usually with its own amplifier, placed alongside the main pair.
Why it matters
Most stereo speakers, bookshelf speakers especially, fade out somewhere between 40 and 60 Hz. A subwoofer fills in the octave below and takes the hardest bass work off the main pair. Its level, crossover and placement need care, or the bass booms in one seat and vanishes in the next.What is typical
Home subwoofers use 8 to 15 inch drivers and reach down to about 20 to 30 Hz. In a stereo system they are usually crossed over somewhere between 50 and 100 Hz.- Total harmonic distortion (THD)
How much the component adds to the signal that was not in the recording, as a percentage.
Why it matters
Useful as a sanity check rather than a ranking. Below a certain level it is inaudible, and the kind of distortion often matters more than the amount.What is typical
Solid-state amplifiers commonly measure under 0.01%. Tube amplifiers measure far higher and can still sound excellent, which is why the number alone settles nothing.- Transient
The sharp leading edge of a sound — a drum strike, a plucked string, the consonant at the start of a word.
Why it matters
How cleanly a system reproduces transients decides whether music sounds alive or slightly blurred. It depends on the driver, the cabinet, and the amplifier keeping control together.What is typical
Not something you read off a spec sheet. Lighter cones and stiffer cabinets generally help; so does an amplifier with enough current to start and stop the woofer decisively.- Tube
A glass valve used to amplify the signal, the technology that preceded transistors and is still in use.
Why it matters
Tube amplifiers distort differently from transistors — the added harmonics tend to be ones we find pleasant rather than harsh. They also generally have less grip on a woofer, so they suit easy-to-drive speakers.What is typical
Expect to re-bias periodically and replace tubes every few thousand hours. That upkeep is the trade for the character.- Tweeter
The small driver that handles the highest pitches — cymbals, the air around a voice, the top of a violin.
Why it matters
Tweeter design does a lot to set whether a speaker sounds bright and forward or relaxed, and how wide the good listening position is.What is typical
Soft-dome tweeters are the most common and tend to sound easygoing. Metal domes resolve more detail and can sound hard if the rest of the design does not manage them. Ribbons and horns are less common and have distinct characters of their own.- Voice coil
A coil of fine wire fixed to the back of a speaker’s cone or dome, sitting in the gap of a magnet.
Why it matters
The amplifier’s current runs through it, and the magnet’s field pushes the coil back and forth with the music, which moves the cone. Its resistance is most of a speaker’s impedance, and the heat it can shed sets how much power the driver takes.What is typical
Woofer coils are usually 25 to 50 mm across and tweeter coils about 25 mm. A driver sold as 8 ohms typically measures 5 to 7 ohms of plain resistance across its coil.- Watt
The unit of amplifier power.
Why it matters
Loudness does not scale with watts the way it looks. Doubling power buys about 3 dB, a small step — which is why speaker sensitivity often matters more than the amplifier’s rating.What is typical
Normal listening draws only a few watts. Amplifiers are rated 20–500 watts; the figure is mostly about headroom and about driving difficult speakers, not volume.- Wi-Fi
A wireless network connection: the streamer joins your home network through small antennas instead of a cable.
Why it matters
It means no cable across the room. A weak signal shows up as gaps or a stream that drops to lower quality, so a streamer far from the router may do better wired.What is typical
Most streamers use 5 GHz Wi-Fi, which is plenty for CD and high-resolution streams in a typical home.- Woofer
The largest driver in a speaker, responsible for bass.
Why it matters
Cone size and cabinet design set how deep a speaker goes and how much air it can move — which is why a small speaker in a large room runs out of bass before it runs out of volume.What is typical
Bookshelf speakers typically use a 5–7 inch woofer; floorstanders often use two or three 6–8 inch drivers, or a single larger one.- Wow and flutter
How much a turntable or tape deck wobbles off the correct speed, given as a percentage.
Why it matters
Speed that drifts changes pitch. Slow drift ("wow") makes sustained piano and organ notes waver; fast drift ("flutter") adds a roughness to held notes. A lower percentage means the pitch you hear is the pitch that was recorded.What is typical
Good turntables measure around 0.1% or below; 0.03% is excellent. Above roughly 0.2% the wavering starts to be audible on piano.